RIVERSIDE: More Fire Mondays celebrates 10th anniversary

Over the last 10 years that More Fire Mondays has been making people dance in Riverside, the night that the collective of DJs still rank as the most memorable is the dark and stormy one.

Back then, the night of reggae, dancehall and hip-hop and R&B wasnât at Sevilla, where More Fire Mondays has logged the majority of its weeks, but down the street at the long-gone Babylon just east of Downtown and the 91 Freeway.

A thunderstorm had knocked out power all around town and darkness surrounded the area, except on the patio where reggae and dancehall kept the crowd moving, the only available light from the sporadic flashes of lightning.

âAll you could see was people flailing, like a natural strobeâ Jeremy Campbell, who DJs as Juice, remembered.

He said someone was even holding a Jamaican flag above the turntables to keep the vinyl from getting wet.

That memory is one of many that will be celebrated at More Fire Mondays celebrates its 10th anniversary on Monday, Sept. 23, with three separate rooms filled with more than a dozen DJs at Sevilla celebrating the decade of good vibes and great music.

Not to mention, a decade in club years is like no small feat â" industry sources like Nightclub & Bar pinpoint the average lifespan for a nightlife venue less than two years.

âThatâs unbelievable that it lasted this long,â said Steve Wilson, one of host of long-running reggae radio show âDistant Drumâ on 88.3 FM KUCR.

He joined up with More Fire in its early years with his co-hosts Adrian âBig Aâ Reese, who passed away in 2011, and Wayne Drummond.

Wilson attributed the longevity to the different styles and flavor each DJ brings to the turntables.

But before More Fire Mondays grew into one of the hot spots of the Inland Empire, drawing hundreds from around Southern California every Monday night, it began as a place for music-loving friends to share their passion.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

More Fire Mondays started back in 2003, when Babylon was a laid-back destination with beer, wine, hookah and places to play chess or dominoes. There was also a night with open turntables.

Eric Focht, who DJs as Red Beef, began spinning there and soon, Campbell joined him and the pair turned the night into a reggae-themed residency dubbed More Fire.

As More Fire Mondays started to grow in popularity, the DJ circle started to expand. The Distant Drum guys came in and Gabe Wiens, who DJs as Gabe Real, also joined the fold in 2004.

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